Reviving the Impossible: A Modern Look at Resurrection

''Many who sleep in the dusty earth will awaken' (Daniel 12:2). The resurrection of the dead is a fundamental belief established by Moses, our teacher. Without this belief, one cannot fully connect to Judaism. These are ideas expressed by Maimonides in his commentary on the Mishnah, Sanhedrin, Chapter 11. Let's explore this concept through a simple analogy.

Imagine a newcomer from the icy North Pole who has only ever known endless ice fields. He has never encountered farming. Upon settling in a new village, he joins the locals who are plowing the fields. To him, their actions are baffling. Why disturb the earth in this manner?

When the plowing ends, they begin spreading wheat seeds. Curious, he asks what these are, to which they reply: 'These produce the bread that nourishes us.'

Intrigued, he observes the bags of seeds, remembering how meals overseas lacked satisfaction without bread. So imagine his shock when the seeds are buried in the earth. Unable to contain himself, he exclaims: 'Why waste precious grain this way?!'

The villagers reply with a forgiving smile: 'You'll see in time. Each seed will grow into a stalk with many identical seeds on its head.' Angry, he demands they stop mocking him, but they continue smiling, trying to calm him.

Weeks of watering go by, and troubled, he ventures alone into the field. He digs up a seed, finding it rotten and decayed, bringing tears to his eyes. Why would they ruin something so valuable?

Time passes, and he returns to the fields, now brimming with mature wheat as far as the eye can see. Amazed, he sees them sway in the breeze, seemingly nodding to him with a message: indeed, they were right, and this is naturally how things grow. And so it is with resurrection. * We, unlike the new arrival, have seen this natural miracle many times and take it for granted, but it is indeed extraordinary if we pause to consider it.

 Let us briefly shake off this familiarity and truly observe. Is this not a wonder? If decayed seeds give rise to thriving plants, why couldn't a decayed body be similarly revived? Just as understanding the nature of a seed makes this idea less foreign, knowing the components of a person helps make resurrection seem approachable.

 As explained before, in the first chapter, one who understands that true humanity is the spiritual being inside, cloaked by flesh and bones shaped uniquely, can easily grasp how even if the outer garment perishes, the internal essence remains ready to don a new one and return to its former self.

 * In greater depth, if you believe the Creator made the world ex nihilo (something from nothing), then creating or renewing a person should not be an unimaginable feat.